Issue 5

Print issue #5 of The Counterforce is here, collecting everything published so far in 2025. Download the PDF on our zine page (along wish past issues, and many other punk zines) to print and distro some copies! Now in A4 for the rest of the world and with beautiful cover art by our own contributor Ghas Attack....

There's something to be said about being an active band for 7 years, consistently putting out music and honing in on your craft all this time; meanwhile touring literally everywhere, taking no shortcuts. The proof is in the pudding: this record is undeniable. COMBUST never strayed from their initial sound and identity, they are the quintessential modern New York Hard Core band in my opinion. These guys are students of the game and deliver a high-quality record packed to the brim with NYHC bonanz...

This Montreal band is a secret gem. I had never really delved into their recorded output before, as I assumed it would not live up to the feeling of their live shows, often delivered through copious amounts of amps and pedals. Well I guess the joke's on me because this new album is impressive. The recording itself is outstanding, and they really capture the essence of what the band is about without any gear gluttony on display. You still get volume, tone and the feeling of being wrapped-up in a ...

I checked out this album when I heard that the bass player from END OF A YEAR/SELF DEFENSE FAMILY had a new band and it quickly became a recurring listen. I keep noticing cool parts and details I hadn’t before, which is rare for a straight forward punk record. LIFE ABUSE are from Albany, NY and they remind me of the type of bands that would be on something like Havoc Records, or that I’d read about in Heartattack Fanzine. Which is not surprising considering the members are veterans of that scene...

Montreal's DUREX is Alex (vocals), Kelly (drums), Hannah (bass) and Felix (guitar). They just released their second tape "SHAME". Interview contributed by DJ Buckingham Palace....

If you follow what's new in contemporary crust, you will have heard of Montreal's PORTAL TOMB and their Last Frost Demo released on Sore Mind last year. I started a Signal group with Aíne and Ava to chat about the band. ...

Slime punk, egg punk, egg. Chain wave, chain punk, and, eventually, inevitably, similarly, just chain. Does this help? Make more sense? No no no, just keep throwing some shit at the wall so every review sounds like a sales pitch and every band is a camel comprised of diametric sonic interests. D-beat, kang, raw, D-beat raw, UK82; female fronted, fast hardcore, fastcore; Devocore (that's a thing! The author's sweating!) Oh, good grief, let's not turn this first outing of mine into a referendum o...

CONDUMB’s S/T debut ep does something that I think is nearly impossible: sound very good and very noisy at the same time. Everything is balanced and shines while a layer of high gain covers the whole thing. Trish, who also plays guitar, did a great job recording this (as well as everything else of hers that I’ve heard). The bass is punchy and helps drive the entire ep, the drums are solid and straight forward in a way that props up the riffs instead of distracts from them. When I sent this to a ...

BRUTE is a very appropriate name for this band. Hardcore leaning into powerviolence from Vancouver that sounds like it was written by primitive humans and I mean that in the very best way. Is it recorded perfectly or horribly, you have to decide for yourself. Based on the artwork I assume this is or will soon be out on tape and honestly I'd be a bit afraid that the tape will destroy my tapedeck from too much sand in the casing. Caution the intro to BBG may have a drastic effect on your ability ...

I think a lot about the way things get lost: band shirts that evaporate, ignored buildings demolished after you leave the neighbourhood, faint acquaintances delete their social media and you never see them again, digitally or otherwise. Almost all punk demos are like this: tossed off to niche audiences in limited quantities, uploaded to incredibly fragile file sharing sites, and usually eventually abandoned for lack of interest by either the band, the audience or both. This article lines up rou...

Recently I was in NYC and stopped by Peace Of Mind HQ where I was gifted a few of their recent releases. Willow filled my bag with copies to take home, exclaiming "we don't care about making money, we just want to put our friends bands and get their music out there." Besides the LOVE AND COMPASSION tape, everything I was given has not yet been reviewed here. So, I present a roundup review: MMI - Imminently Perilous To Life Demo Tape As of writing, the newest Peace Of Mind release. Opens with ...

Ghas of A World Divided bring us this interview with Charged Can, founder of Wargasm Records/Fest based in Istanbul. Ghas: Hey Can! Tell us about your current projects, I know you’ve been busy! Charged Can: Hi Ghas, DIE IN VAIN and REASON WHY, my two sibling bands! Happy to involve with those bands because we're doing our favorite two era of punk rock. G: I saw that you have been touring across Europe in the last few weeks. Can you tell us about that? CC: Yes! We were on tour with DIE IN VAI...

Hardcore punk should make you feel like you're losing brain cells with every passing second. And let me tell you this POISON SPEAR release has my brains leaking out my ear while the grin on my face gets more deranged. No gimmicks, no complicated riffs and snotty but guttural vocals make zero compromises. Plus the title track Institutional Trust is a drawn out mosh part that'll have you slamming from side to side, getting low and slow or getting swept up in the feverish sweaty energy of an overca...

Hailing from the gloomy western lowlands of Glasgow, WARBITCH brings us just over 15 minutes of metal punk chaos. Clear and concise gravely vocals bludgeon us with adages of nuclear fallout, the horrors of war, and the eternal wheels of oppression grinding our bones. WARBITCH takes the blistering attitudes of "war bad" raw punk and brings an element of metal that will likely keep the HM-2 distortion fans happy. There's even a breakdown midway through "radiation zombie" that adds a bit of tempo v...

JETSAM are a drum + bass + vocals powerviolence three-piece from Montreal. In the few short years they've been active, JETSAM have played shows in nearly every corner of the local scene. Recently, they went on their first small tours out of the Toronto-Montreal-Quebec City corridor, and if you haven't heard of them already I expect you will soon. Jack (vocals, they/them) and Neon (bass, she/her) answered my questions by e-mail in January 2025. Martin Force: What is the story of JETSAM? How did ...

The first time I heard of MEM//BRANE was when my dad saw them listed in the Bellingham weekly paper. At the time they had only put out their demo but I was hooked from the start. I love this band. Every release has gotten better (the David Wojnarowicz speech that intros their Subcutaneous EP gives me chills every listen). If you start at MEM//BRANE’s demo and work through their releases, you can hear the maturing of their sound and songwriting, this S/T record feeling like a culmination. The re...

Over the past year or so, I’ve taken an unprecedented hiatus from punk. Sure, I’ve had my occasional months-long breaks, but this one has dragged on longer than I’d like to admit. Thankfully, ZYCLONE, is the band that’s finally breaking my silence. Visions of Impending Death marks ZYCLONE’s debut self-release. Clocking in at under 7 minutes, the demo is a surge of aggression, holding a sense of urgency essential for any hardcore band worth their salt. This is fast-as-hell D-beat hardcore, firml...